April 2018 Training Log

30         180 lb. Bent press: 1 rep OTM for 20m, 24k. Was planning to do 30m, but was interrupted. I’m trying out a few sessions of bent pressing and snatching separately, so I can focus on each lift in the time I have available. Each rep takes about 20 seconds, taking the time to settle into each position properly. One per minute is about right to keep moving without getting tired. My left side is great, but I’m tight in the hips on the right side. When I press with my left hand, I have no problem jamming my right shoulder inside my left knee, but the opposite movement won’t happen yet. I can’t get that low with the left shoulder yet. My plan is to work on my flexibility and mobility slowly while practicing the lift, then add weight when the movement is right. When my body is ready, the weight will go up quickly.

I’m back to the original Program Minimum at this point. I read that the North American record in the bent press is 137 pounds, performed by David Whitley at a USAWA meet. I did an ugly rep with 135 a few years ago when I focused on it. It’s a great lift, and I seem to have some potential to be good at it.  I’m also close to CMS in the half-snatch half marathon event.

My goals at this point are to earn CMS in the half-snatch half marathon, and to bent press my 49k bell 20 times in 20 minutes. CMS at my current weight will require 250 half-snatches in 30 minutes with a 28k kettlebell. That should cover my needs for explosive power, endurance, grip and pulling. Bent pressing the 109 pound kettlebell for 20 minutes should give me an acceptable level of overall strength, flexibility, mobility, and strength endurance. Pavel said this is a good all-around program, and I can see that. However, it seems to me that three things are still lacking. The first is forward flexion. Pavel recommended ab work with the original program minimum, and I can see why. The second is an upper-body pull. Pullups would balance out all the overhead work nicely, and keep the shoulders happy. The third is locomotion. Neither of these movements involve ankle extension, and both are done standing still. Locomotion is an important part of human movement, so I’ll need to include it. Options include loaded carries, easy runs, hill sprints, and rope skipping. I’ll include the ab wheel and Roman chair, pullups, and locomotion a few times a week for variety.

28          180 lb. Bent press: 1 rep OTM for 12m. First rep with 32k, then remaining reps with 28k. 1 each with 32k, 5 each with 28k. Rested a few minutes, then half-snatch, 28k: 16m @ 6rpm, hand switch OTM = 96 reps. Bent presses felt good today, snatches felt heavy. Worked on house for several hours.

27          No training. Drove to Asheville for aircrew training. Flew a training sortie.

25          180.5 lb. Good day of training. Decided to go a little heavier and slower. Bent press plus OH squat, 28k: 1 rpm OTM for 20m = 10/10. Each rep took 20-25s. Trying to stretch and master each position. Rested about 12m, then half snatch, 28k: 10m @ 6rpm, hand switch OTM = 60 reps. Worked on deck railing for several hours. Feeling much better than last few days.

24          180.5 lb.

21-23     Feeling really sick. Sore all over, chills, nausea, fatigue.  Lasted until Monday. Did a few bent press/OH squats: 24k, 28k, 32k, 32k, 28k, 24k. Nothing serious. Ended the day with a set of 40 pushups to beat Isaac.

19     182 lb. Great workout today. Started with bent press + overhead squat, 24k. Did 1 rep every :30, switching hands each time, for 10m = 10/10. I see the benefit of doing the bent press in both the windmill and squat style, so rather than choose, I did windmill bent presses, then an overhead squat before lowering the bell to the shoulder. I may make this my go-to grind for a while. I like the feeling of strength and flexibility. Left side is great, but right is still a little tight in the bottom position. Rested 5m, then hit a PR in the half-snatch with 24k: 30m @ 9 rpm, hand switch OTM = 270 reps. That’s 14,040 pounds. If I did this with a 28k bell, it would get me CMS with 20 reps to spare. My goal is CMS in this lift, so I’m close. It was hard, but nothing tried to give out. Shoulders, grip, legs, and lower back felt fine. Conditioning was good.  About an hour after my workout, was cleaning the basement and gym. Decided to see if I could deadlift 300. Got it in a slow, steady pull. It was hard, but I did it. I can’t remember the last time I pulled 300, but it’s been at least since before I moved out to my new place in the fall of 2015. Probably three years since I’ve deadlifted this much.

18    182 lb. Worked on deck for several hours. Got an arm workout using a pair of 36 inch bolt cutters to cut cattle panels for deck. Wanted a little full-body strength work, so did 10 minutes of bent pressing, 1 rep every :30, 24k. The pressing part is easy, but I’m having to regain the flexibility to assume the correct postures.

17     Worked on deck bannisters for about 6 hours. Lots of cutting and carrying boards up stairs, bending and stooping, etc. At Civil Air Patrol, ran a mile in 9:14, then played kickball with the cadets.

16     183 lb. Bent press, 24k: 5 reps per side. Half-snatch, 24k: 20m @ 9 rpm, hand switch OTM = 180 reps.

13     182 lb. Only worked with a 24k kettlebell today. 5 windmills per arm, 5 presses per arm. Shoulders feel tight. Presses were fine, but windmills were tough. Tried the setup for a bent press, but I’ve lost the flexibility to do it. My shoulders might be jacked from heavy clean and push presses with the barbell. Too much too soon. Half snatch: 20m @ 8rpm, hand switch OTM = 160 reps.

12     Barbell clean and push press, full squat clean: 4 singles @ 135 lb. Half snatch, 32k: 2m @ 6 rpm = 12 reps. Jerk, 2x24k: 4m @ 5 rpm = 20 reps. Snatch, 16k: 6m @ 16 rpm, 1 hand switch = 48/48 reps.

10     181 lb. Barbell clean and push press: 6 singles @ 135 lb. Clean and jerk: 3 singles @ 135 lb. Easy/moderate work all day. Kettlebell training: half-snatch, 24k: 16m @ 8rpm (10 rpm for first 2m), hand switch OTM = 132 snatches. Press, 24k: 5/5. Long cycle, 24k: 2m @ 8rpm = 16 reps. Roman Chair: 2x10 situps and back raises. Pullups: 2x7. Dips: 2x12.

9       Typical Monday- poor training day. Always low energy on Mondays. Barbell clean and push press: 6 singles @ 135 lb. Clean and power jerk: 4 singles @ 135 lb. Full squat clean on all reps. Rested a few minutes, then long cycle clean and jerk, 28k: 4m @ 6rpm, hand switch OTM = 24 reps. Rode the bike a few minutes, then called it a day. I am seeing improvement in my clean technique. Hands are sore, probably from new barbell work. Worked on floor and ceiling in the house.

7       182 lb. Double jerk, 2x16: 3m @ 8rpm = 24 reps. Rested a few minutes, then half-snatch, 28k: 14m @ 8rpm, hand switch OTM = 112 reps. Pullups: 2x7. Dips: 2x12.

5       Light construction work all day. Today’s training: barbell clean and push press: 6 singles @ 120 lb. Barbell clean and power jerk: 2 singles @ 120 lb. Full squat clean on all reps. Working on technique, particularly the second pull.  Kettlebell half snatch, 24k: 10m @ 10rpm, hand switch OTM = 100 reps. Legs started to feel it at this pace. Cardio, grip, shoulders held out fine. Rested 6m, then single clean and jerk, 12k: 10m @ 12 rpm, 1 hand switch = 60/60. Again, felt it more in legs than anywhere else.  Pullups: 2x7. Dips, Roman Chair situps, Roman Chair back extensions: 2x10.

3       Worked for several hours hanging wood siding on house. Did my daily barbell work: clean and push press: 6 singles @ 120. Clean and power jerk: 4 singles @ 120. Clean and strict press: 1 single @ 120. At this point, the plan is to continue adding 5 pounds a week, doing around 10 lifts each day.

2        Long Easter weekend, early day yesterday. Ate too much. Ready to get back to clean eating and good training. Barbell clean and push press: 6 singles @ 120 lb. Barbell clean and power jerk: 4 singles @ 120. Practiced conventional snatch, 12k: 8m @ 20 rpm, 1 hand switch = 80/80 reps. Light weight, and not too hard, but could not have gotten 5m/arm at this pace. Snatch mechanics felt good after lots of half-snatching. It may be worthwhile to include some regular snatch training with lighter weights to build endurance as I work on CMS in half snatch.  Worked on deck railing for several hours.